High-tension sparking means for explosion-engines.



J. E. SHELBY.

HIGH TENSION SPARKING MEANS FOR EXPLOSION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1907.

1,051,642. Patented Jan. 28, 1913.

VVVVVVVVVV i generating the induce UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. SEELEY, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIGH FREQUENCY IGNITION COIL COMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION 0F CALIFORNIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 28, 1913.

Application filed April 29, 1907. Serial No. 370,978.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I JAMES E. SEELEY, a citizen of the United states, residing at Los Angeles, in the count of Los Angeles and State of California, 8N8 invented a new and useful Hi h-Tension Sparking Means for Explosionngines, of which the followingis a specification.

The main object of the present invention is to provide means for developing in an exlosion engine, sparks of high potential and requency. The advantage of such sparks is that they give a sharper, quicker ignition and greater igniting power for a given strength of battery and that they keep the terminals clean, owing to the disruptive effects of. the discharge.

Anotherob'ect of the invention is to pro-. tect the circuit controller which distributes the current to the several cylinders of an engine, so that corrosion or burning of the contacts thereof is avoided.

Another object of the invention is to provide a high tension sparkin means for explosion engines which can extended to any desired number of cylinders with but slight increase in the cost. Where the ordinary sparkcoils are used for each cylinder, the cost'runs up more or less in proportion to the number of cylinders, and the object of my invention is to rovide a sin le means for producin induc cylinders an separate high tension induction means for the several cylinders, said induction means being relatively small and of low cost on account of the high tension and hi h frequency involved.

n the accompanying drawings :"-Figure l is a diagram showin the apparatus for dischar es, as applied to two cylinder ignition. ig. 2 is an elevation of the end portion of a two cylinder engine, showing the a plication of the high tension induction devices thereto.

l designates the battery or source of elec-v tromotive force connected at one end to ground and atthe other end'by line 2 to a variable inductance. Said variable inductance preferably comprises a series of coils 3 with cores 4, each coil of relatively small self-induction, the 7 said coils bemg connected in series in a circuit 5 and connections 6 being. taken from various points of the said circuit through plug switches .7

discharges or all the primary.

to line 2, a removable plug 8 being provided for insertion in any one of said switchesto lnclude in-circuit as many as may be desired of these inductance devices. The line or connection 5 is connected through the coil of a magnet 12 wit-h a wire 13 leading to one side of a condenser 14, whose other side is grounded, said condenser being preferably a series condenser. The magnet 12 operates an armature 15 connected to wire 13 and having a back contact 16 connected by wire 17 to one side of the primary 18 for the high tension induction devices 19, 20. Said high tension induction device is adapted to produce high frequency oscillating discharges, the said device being without iron cores, as indicated in Fig. 1, so that its magnetic circuit is of low permeability and hysteresis, as

compared with the ordinary iron-containing magnetic circuit so as to present maximum frequency. The said device consists of a flat, spiral having a primary coil of a few turns on the outside and a secondary coil of a greater number of turns on the inside. This high tension device, which Ihereafter referto as a resonator, works best when there is proper tuning between the primary and secondary and when properly tuned the high frequency oscillatory discharge through the primary of the resonator induces correspondingly high frequency currents in the secondary of the resonator, the amount of current induced being greater the nearer each turn of the secondary is to the This produces a maximum of high frequency potential at the inner terminal of the secondary of the resonator and the maximum of current at the outer terminal of the secondary of the resonator. It therefore is immaterial'whether the outer terminal of thesecondary of the resonator is metallically connected with the primary circuit' or insulated from it. The high frequency oscillatory currents developed by such a device cannot be transmitted any considerable distance through the conductor, the energy being dissipated by radiation in electric magnetic waves, and the feature of my invention which consists in applying the resonator directly adjacent to the sparking electrodes, as shown in Fig. 2, is therefore of special advantage. The contacting havin a platinum contact 27. The other end 0 the primaries of said devices are connected by wires 21 to respective contacts 22, cooperatingwith a circuit controller 23 having a contact 24 which successively engages the aforesaid contacts 22 to distribute or connectthe current successively to the respective cylinders corresponding to the induct-ion devices 19, 20. The secondaries 25 of said induction devices are connected at one end to the primaries thereof, the other ends extending to electrodes 26 which extend within the explosion chambers of the engine cylinders. On account of the high tension of the spark and small quantity thereof, these induction devices can be of relatively small size so that they are 0011-. veniently applied directly to the spark plugs as shown in Fi 2, each induction device being formed w1th a case 28 screwing onto the spark plug 29. The production of a high frequenc discharge requires the induction coil orevice 18, 25, to be coreless, or without iron core, as shown in Fig. 1, and the utilization of such a discharge requires discharge terminals of this device to be .directly in proximity to .the point of utilization, namely, the s ark gap, as shown in Fig. 2, the spark p ug being directly con,

nected thereto, for the reason that an oscillatory current of high frequency becomes lost by induction, in passing through any considerable length of wire. The term high frequency induction device as herein used refers to an induction device of this nature, that is, without iron core. The circuit controller 23 is driven by the engine in usual manner.

The armature 15 of the magnet 12 acts as a circuit breaker for the charging circuit and as a spark gap for the discharge circuit, but it 'will be noted that the charging circuit is also controlled by the circuit controller so that the charging circuit is not energized unless the circuit controller is closed, and the function of the said armature is to break the circuit subsequently to the closure by the circuit closer. This breaking of the circuit by the armature is preferably efi'ected before the circuit controller has time to break the circuit, but the armature is preferably so timed in its operation that it does not again close the circuit until the circuit controller has again broken the circuit. To insure this, adjusting means are provided, for example, a screw 30 working through a fixed support 31 and having a swivel connection 32 with a leaf spring 33 carrying the armature 15, so that by adjust ing said screw the operation of the armature can be prevented until the current has attained full strength, the armature being of sufficient weight so that when it is operated the time required for its return under the elasticity of the spring is such that the circlosed, when desired, by a plug 35. leaving the apparatus under the control of the circuit controller, without the operation of the protective circuit breaker above described.

The operation is as folloWsz-Assuming that the engine is running and the circuit controller 23 is in rotation, it will close circuit alternately to the respective contacts 22, causing current to flow as follows: from battery 1 through wire 2, plug 8, one or more of the inductance devices 3, magnet 12, wire 13, armature 15, back contact I 16, wire 17, and the primary of one or the other of the-induction coils 19 or 20, wire 21, contacts 22, 24 to ground, and back to battery. This current energizes said induction devices and also energizes the magnet 12, so that said magnet as soon as it is fully energized draws the armature 15 thereof to break connection of the back contact 16. The inductance means 3, or as much of same as may be included in circuit, discharges, on the one hand, through line 2 and battery 'to ground and on the other hand through line 13 to the condenser. The condenser will thus be charged and will discharge through the spark gap between the armature and the back contact 16, the discharge passing from one side of the condenser through wire 13, armature 15, back contact 16, wire 17, primary of the induction device 19 and the circuit controller to ground, and from the other side of the condenser. ,directly to ground. This gives a high frequency oscillating discharge through the spark gap formed by the armatureand its 'bac'kcontact, and this'discharge acts on the secondary of the included induction device, say device 19, to generate therein a high tension, high frequency discharge which jumps across the gap in the engine cylinder. I have found that a discharge of this nature has peculiar qualities, fitting it for use for this purpose. First, in that it is sharp and quick in action, giving a much more sudden development of explosion than with a slow or low temperature spark. Second, a spark of this nature, by reason of its high tension and high frequency, has a peculiar mechanical action in cleaning or throwing off fnom the surfaces, with which it comes in contact, any adhered deposit, so that the surfaces are kept clean and effective.

It will be noted that in the above operatlon the spark is drawn at the armature contacts 27, 16, and not at the circuit controller contacts 22, 24, so that the high frequency discharge from the condenser expends its energy, as far as regards the spark gap, at this point and the volatilizing or corrosive effect of such a dischargej. is avoided at the circuit controller. This is of im-' portance for the reason that the circuit conand frequency discharge. The contacts 15,

16 are subjected to this corrosive action, butbeing smaller they can be made of platinum, or other non-corrosive material, and in any case the damage thereto is not so serious as damage to the circuit controller would be either in its effect or running of the engine, or in the cost of repair.

What I claim is 1. An ignition means for internal combustion engines comprisinga spark plug in the engine cylinder, a resonator directly attached to the spark plug, and electrically connected to the electrode \in the spark plug to deliver high tension high frequency oscillatory discharge therethrough without loss, a condenser, a discharge circuit therefor, said resonator having its prima included in the said discharge circuit, a c arging circuit for the condenser, including an electromotive source, a self-induction coil, and a circuit controlling means, said discharge circuit of the condenser being independent of the electromotive source, said circuit controlling means being connected to be operated by the engine to close the circuit to energize the self-induction coil and immediately thereafter to open the circuit to cause the discharge from the self-induction coil to charge the condenser and to permit the'condenser to then immediately discharge through the said discharge circuit therefor.

2. An ignition means for internal combustion engines comprising a ark gap means in the engine cylinder, a igh frequency high tension induction coil having its magnetic circuit of material of low permeability and hysteresis, said induction coil having its high tension side connected to said spark ap means and being located directly adacent to said s ark gap means to deliver the oscillatory discharge from the induction coil to the spark gap means without loss, means for producing in the induction coil an oscillatory current, said means comprising a charging circuit, a condenser connected thereto, a self-induction coil in the charging circuit, said self-induction coil having an inductance greatly in excess of the aforesaid induction coil, a source of electromotive force connected to the, self-induction coil, a discharge circuit for the condenser connecting the condenser to the high frequency induction coil independently of the charg' circuit through the self-induction coil an a circuit controlling means operably connected to the engine and arranged to close the circuit to energize the induction coil and immediately thereafter tov open the circuit to cause the discharge from the self-induction coil to charge thecondenser and to permit the condenser to then immediately dischar? through its dischar circuit.

3. cans for generating 'gh tension discharges in explosion engines, comprising a self-induction means, a charging circuit circuit or the selfinduction means inc uding a condenser and a discharge circuit for the condenser including a circuit controller and the rimary coil of an induction device, a secon ary coil energized by said primary coil, a spark plug directly adjacent to the induction device and directly connected thereto, and a circuit breaker operated by the energization of the charging circuit to open said circuit on closure at the circuit controller and to form a spark gap in the condenser discharge circuit before the circuit controller breaks connection.

4. An apparatus for the purpose described comprising a variable inductance consisting of a plurality of self-induction coils, each of relatively small self-induction, means for including a variable number of said coils in series, an energizing circuit therefor, a discharge circuit for the self-induct on coils, a condenser in said discharge circuit, an electromagnet in the charging circuit, an armature operated thereby,acircuit breaker operated by said armature, a mechanically operated circuit controller, a condenser discharge circuit comprising said armature-operated cont-acts and said circuit controller, an induction coil having its primary included in said discharge circuit, and a sparking terminal therefor, a dischar connected to the secondary of said induction 

